How-to's · Email marketing · 2 min read
Best Image Size for Mailchimp Emails
Short answer
Mailchimp's standard email templates are about 600 pixels wide, so full-width images should be 600px wide, or 1200px wide uploaded and displayed at 600px for sharp results on high-resolution screens. Keep file sizes small, ideally well under 1 MB per image, and use JPG for photos and PNG for graphics with transparency.
Images make emails look good, but the wrong size makes them blurry, slow or broken. Here is what works in Mailchimp.
Recommended sizes
| Image type | Display width | Upload width (for retina) |
|---|---|---|
| Full-width hero | 600px | 1200px |
| Two-column image | ~300px | ~600px |
| Three-column image | ~200px | ~400px |
| Logo | 150–300px | 300–600px |
| Product thumbnail | 150–250px | 300–500px |
Heights depend on your design. Keep hero images reasonably short so the message and button appear without much scrolling.
File format
- JPG for photos.
- PNG for logos, icons and graphics with transparency.
- GIF for simple animations (keep them small; Outlook may show only the first frame).
File size
Mailchimp sets an upload limit per image, but you should aim far below it. Large images load slowly on mobile data. Compress images with a tool before uploading.
Tips for better email images
- Don't put key text only in images. Many people view with images off. Put the main message and button in real text.
- Add alt text describing each image.
- Use a consistent width so layouts stay tidy.
- Test on mobile where images shrink.
- Watch the image-to-text balance. Emails that are one big image can hurt deliverability and accessibility.
How to resize
Use any image editor (Canva, Photoshop, free online tools) to set width to the upload size above, then export and compress.
Step by step: preparing a hero image
- Pick the image: one clear subject, with space around it so it survives cropping.
- Crop to your layout: for a full-width hero, try a ratio around 2:1 or 3:2 so it is not too tall on phones.
- Resize to 1200px wide (double the 600px display width).
- Export as JPG at a quality level that keeps detail without a huge file, usually somewhere in the 60–80% range in most editors.
- Compress with an image optimiser.
- Upload to Mailchimp's content studio, place it in an image block and set the display width to fit the template.
- Add alt text that says what the image shows, for example "Green rain jacket on a hiker in light rain".
- Send a test to your phone and desktop.
Background images and GIFs
Background images behind text look good in some clients and fail in others, notably several versions of Outlook. If you use one, make sure the text is still readable on the fallback background colour.
Animated GIFs grab attention but can be heavy. Keep them short, limit the number of frames, and make sure the first frame works on its own, since some Outlook versions only show the first frame.
Mobile considerations
On phones, multi-column layouts usually stack into a single column. That means a 300px two-column image may display at full phone width, so the higher-resolution upload matters even more. Preview the mobile layout in Mailchimp's editor and check that text inside images (if any) is still legible when the image shrinks or stretches.
Quick reference
- Full width: upload 1200px, display 600px.
- Logos: PNG, upload 2x display size.
- Photos: JPG, compressed.
- Keep key text and buttons as live text, not inside images.
Related
How to add columns in a Mailchimp template, how to attach a PDF in Mailchimp and the best font size for email marketing.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my Mailchimp image look blurry?
It was probably uploaded at the display size. On retina and high-DPI screens, images need about twice the pixel width they are shown at.
What size should a logo be in Mailchimp?
Logos are usually displayed around 150 to 300px wide. Upload at double that width for sharpness and use PNG for transparency.
Does Mailchimp resize images?
Mailchimp's editor lets you set display size and crop. It is still best to resize and compress images before uploading.
Sources and further reading
Platform features, prices and policies change. Check the official help pages linked above before you act on a detail that matters to your store.